The present invention relates to a method for composing and recording a picture having a continuous gradation and a character having two-value levels such as white and black in the desired layout positions by using picture signals and character signals in a digital manner, for use in a picture reproducing machine such as a color scanner and a color facsimile.
In a conventional picture reproducing machine such as a color scanner for plate making, a plurality of original pictures can be reproduced on a photosensitive material in the desired layout positions. Some method have been developed for carrying out this. Now, a picture having a continuous gradation and characters having two-value levels such as white and black are expected to be composed and recorded in the desired layout positions on a photosensitive material.
When such a picture and characters composed are recorded in the desired layout positions, since the characters composed of fine lines and curves are recorded in the image having two-value levels such as white and black, the characters should be processed with a higher resolving power than the picture. Hence, when the picture is processed with the same higher resolving power as the characters should be, the processing time increases. Further, when the picture is processed with much higher resolving power than it needs, the capacity of the memory increases largely.
Further, when the picture and the characters are separately laid out, two memories for the picture and the characters are required. Each memory for the layout should have a memory space for storing picture signals corresponding to at least one picture but usually a plurality of pictures. Hence, in this case, two memories having a large capacity are necessary, which is uneconomical.